Vol. 395 No. 2
5 Mr. Byrne asked the Minister for Tourism and Transport if any request has been received from Dublin Bus for additional funds to allow the company to accelerate their bus replacement programme; if, in view of the deteriorating condition of much of the bus fleet and the implications of this for commuters, the Government will provide additional funds for bus replacement; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
56 Mr. Ryan asked the Minister for Tourism and Transport if he has any proposals to upgrade and renew CIÉs bus fleet in 1990; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle I propose to take Questions Nos. 5 and 56 together.
It is not policy to provide capital grants to CIE in respect of the acquisition of buses. The board are required to finance such purchases from their own resources.
In accordance with the CIE bus replacement programmes, Bus Átha Cliath and Bus Éireann submitted proposals to my Department in 1989 for the purchase of 63 double deck buses and 20 expressway coaches, respectively. These proposals were approved within the framework of the non-voted capital allocation provided for CIE. I am informed by the board that 50 of the double deck buses and the 20 expressway coaches will be delivered in 1990.
Will the Minister agree that if he can prevent fare increases by CIE he can also provide a subvention to permit the company to replace their fleet of buses? Is the Minister in a position to say what percentage of the buses are more than ten years old? Will the Minister agree that the Government's subvention to CIE is equivalent to about 17 per cent of fare receipts and that it is well below subventions given to public transport services throughout Europe?
I should like to tell the Deputy that 50 of the buses used in the current year are over age. I expect that number to increase to 142 by 1992. There are about 800 vehicles in the fleet. The programme of replacing them will lead to a gradual fall-off in over age buses. I do not have details of the age of the buses but those deemed to be over age by CIE fall into that category. The Deputy will appreciate that the Government approve or disapprove proposals of the board of CIE to engage in capital expenditure. Ultimately, we are talking about an undertaking by the State. There is not a major difference as to how it is carried out because there is a State commitment involved.
Will the Minister agree that customer confidence in the service is a priority and that CIE increased passenger usage in their services slightly in the last 12 months? Will he agree also that in order to continue to increase passenger numbers they need a speedy replacement of the 142 vehicles that will be over age by 1992? Will he accept that there is a need to inject further capital into the CIE network to replace those vehicles?
We must move on to deal with other questions.
